Dogs really are capable of loving their owners, research suggests

They have long been known as man’s best friend: loyal companions that adore their owners.

But it’s not just an act to make sure they get fed – dogs really are capable of love, research has shown.

Scientists at the Claremont Graduate University in California found that domesticated animals release oxytocin in intimate situations, The Atlantic reported.

Known as the “love hormone”, it is the same chemical used to create close bonds between humans.

Professor Paul Zak and his lab carried out a number of experiments to measure the levels of oxytocin released when pets interacted with both other animals and humans.

Zak travelled to an animal refugee in Arkansas where different species interact with one another regularly. While there, Zak obtained blood samples from a domestic mixed-breed terrier and a goat that often played together.

Their play involved “chasing each other, jumping towards each other, and engaging in simulated fighting (baring teeth and snarling)”.

The two young males were placed together in an enclosure where they engaged in play for 15 minutes, after which another blood sample was taken.

“We found that the dog had a 48 per cent increase in oxytocin. This shows that the dog was quite attached to the goat. The moderate change in oxytocin suggests the dog viewed the goat as a ‘friend’,” Zak said.

“More striking was the goat's reaction to the dog: It had a 210 per cent increase in oxytocin. At that level of increase, within the framework of oxytocin as the ‘love hormone’, we essentially found that the goat might have been in love with the dog.”

He added: “The only time I have seen such a surge in oxytocin in humans is when someone sees their loved one, is romantically attracted to someone, or is shown an enormous kindness.”

Zak said that the results suggested that pets may feel love for their owners.

He said: “That animals of different species induce oxytocin release in each other suggests that they, like us, may be capable of love. It is quite possible that Fido and Boots may feel the same way about you as you do about them. You can even call it love.”

And it works the other way around too. Owners that love their pets experience a surge in oxytocin when spending time with their favourite pooch or moggy - but not everyone is a pet person.

In another experiment the researchers obtained blood samples from 100 participants, who then went into a private room and played with a dog or cat for 15 minutes.

Following this, a second blood sample was taken and levels of oxytocin were measured.

The results showed that only 30 per cent of the participants experienced increased levels of oxytocin after interacting with the animals.

Zak said that people who had owned dogs in the past were more likely to feel a bond while playing with the animals than those who had owned cats, or those who had never owned pets at all.

He said: “Dogs are simply more 'people-oriented' than cats, and previous pet ownership seems to have trained our brains to bond with them.”

http://www.independent.co.uk/news/science/dogs-really-are-capable-of-loving-their-owners-research-suggests-9291194.html


They do    us x

Humpy certainly loves me, and the rest of the Gerbs motley crew. But he is the bestest bestest woofensnapper.

gerber wrote:Humpy certainly loves me, and the rest of the Gerbs motley crew.  But he is the bestest bestest woofensnapper.

Hi Gorgeous Gerber   x

I sometimes think I love dogs more than I do people

 

NOTHING like a truly "scientific" study by an obvious group of dog lovers...

TRYING to prove that their pooches really do love them back in return..

NEVER mind that those dogs would likely eat them if they ever got hungry enough !  ::-3:: 

My Molliemol certainly loves us

 

SOME dogs love to bark at the moon too !!!

FACT..

  

Nems wrote:My Molliemol certainly loves us

She loves me too

Lone Wolf wrote: 

SOME dogs love to bark at the moon too !!!

FACT..

  

Bee, we don't want to know about your nocturnal habits lol x

feelthelove wrote:

Nems wrote:My Molliemol certainly loves us

She loves me too

She does. I dont though when you make her bark and us all jump out of our skins!

Nems wrote:

feelthelove wrote:

She loves me too

She does. I dont though when you make her bark and us all jump out of our skins!

Aww but she loves a game, she's so much fun I can't resist Does this mean I don't get to wash up?  ::D::

feelthelove wrote:

Nems wrote:

She does. I dont though when you make her bark and us all jump out of our skins!

Aww but she loves a game, she's so much fun I can't resist Does this mean I don't get to wash up?  ::D::

No its OK I loves ya really   

Nems wrote:

feelthelove wrote:

Aww but she loves a game, she's so much fun I can't resist Does this mean I don't get to wash up?  ::D::

No its OK I loves ya really   

Aww thanks xxx

I think dogs experience a wide range of emotions ...

really who paid for this stupid experiment?

Of course they can love you, any animal can but like any animal they will eat you too if hungry enough

Dogs are still Domesticated Wolves

just like cats still have instincts from their ancestors

You can see it in a dog's eyes....the window to it's soul.

Nems you still have mollie?

eddie wrote:You can see it in a dog's eyes....the window to it's soul.

Nems you still have mollie?

We do, she is 3 and a half now  ::D:: 

Nems wrote:

eddie wrote:You can see it in a dog's eyes....the window to it's soul.

Nems you still have mollie?

We do, she is 3 and a half now  ::D:: 

Ahhhh. I remember the little sod of a pup that she was   bless her x

eddie wrote:

Nems wrote:

We do, she is 3 and a half now  ::D:: 

Ahhhh. I remember the little sod of a pup that she was   bless her x

Now she is a fully grown sod !